This blog documents my life in the Mormon church, my escape from it, and my transition into atheism. This is a place for ex-Mormons to share their thoughts and experiences, to discuss current Mormon issues, and for those people in the church who may be doubting their faith or feeling that something is not quite right. Comments are welcome from all points of view.

Friday, October 31, 2008

LDS Church Refuses to Accept Petition Letter In California

I just received the following in an email from the "Courage Campaign", who recently collected nearly 17,000 signatures, including mine, on a petition letter to the LDS church to ask them to stop their discrimination against gay people:

"That's right. We brought your letter, signed by 16,935 people, to the Los Angeles Mormon Temple, accompanied by several reporters, our own videographer, and Rev. Eric Lee, President of the Southern Christian Leadership Council (SCLC) of California.

"And the Mormon Church refused to accept your letter to President-Prophet Thomas Monson, asking him to stop the lies, stop the blackmail, and stop dictating public policy to Californians.

"We filmed it all. Like a ping-pong ball, we were bounced back and forth by security guards, a "Yes on 8" coalition member, and a Mormon Church leader who refused to accept your signatures.

"It's clear that the Church and its leaders fear the light of day, the truth, and accountability. Instead, they hide behind security guards and the "Yes on 8" campaign, while intimidating their members into donating as much as $20 milllion to take away fundamental rights from the people of California.

"But we will not stand down.

"You gave us a mandate to hold the Mormon Church accountable. And we will. This weekend, our friends in Salt Lake City will deliver your signatures to the Mormon Church headquarters in Utah.

"We will deliver your signatures to the Mormon Church. You have our word. Now we need to focus on the most important thing we can all do to hold the Mormon Church accountable for their campaign to strip fundamental human rights from millions of Californians:

"Beat them at the ballot box on November 4...

"Thank you for helping us hold the Mormon Church accountable as we work to make 2008 a new era for progressive politics in California."

Rick JacobsChair

Watch this video of Rick Jacobs & Rev. Eric Lee attempting to deliver the letter to the church.

4 comments:

Anonymous
said...

The Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City is expressing solidarity with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in response to recent events relating to the passage of Proposition 8 in California.

The Most Reverend John C. Wester, Bishop of the Diocese of Salt Lake City, released a statement today saying:

"In light of recent events, I wish to express the support and solidarity of the Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City with our brothers and sisters in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

"Recently, both of our churches took a strong stand in California to support Proposition 8 which sought to maintain the traditional definition of marriage as between one man and one woman. Like our friends in the Mormon faith, the Catholic Church has long championed and promoted the sacredness of traditional marriage and the importance of the family in our society.

"While acknowledging that this position is not universally held in our society today, our churches are committed to proclaiming the truth and we cherish our ability to participate in the democratic process.

"It is worth noting that our two churches joined with a wide alliance of people from different faiths and ethnicities including Orthodox, Jews, Evangelicals, Hispanics, African Americans, Asians and Anglos. Our defense of traditional marriage should in no way be interpreted as an attack on any person. To the contrary, we honor the dignity and sacredness of each individual.

"I acknowledge that this is a very controversial topic in society today and that many people have strong feelings regarding the definition of marriage. It is my hope that in the ongoing conversation, both sides would engage the democratic process in mutual respect and acknowledge the right of the other to speak in the public square. One of the hallmarks of our country is that people of different opinions can debate neuralgic issues and at the same time demonstrate respect, civility and courtesy for the other. I pray that this will be the case going forward."

Today's response comes on the heels of a statement last night from Bishop William Weigand, head of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sacramento and former Bishop of Salt Lake City. It reads in part: "Bigoted attacks on Mormons for the part they played in our coalition are shameful and ignore the reality that Mormon voters were only a small part of the groundswell that supported Proposition 8."

Last night a crowd of 2,000 to 5,000 people marched in downtown Salt Lake to protest the LDS Church's support of California's Proposition 8, which bans gay marriage. That rally and march followed a similar protest a day earlier at the LDS Temple in Los Angeles.

LDS Church leaders responded to the backlash, saying in a statement that it's wrong to target the Church and its sacred places of worship for being part of the democratic process.

Any church that becomes politically involved is wrong. Sure the church should have its view and should stand up for that view. But the LDS church, based in Utah, is running radio and TV ads in California? It's not only them, but that doesn't make it okay. Any church should teach its values to its members and leave it at that. The part that really urks me is that the church will boldly claim that it is not political. Liars!

Oh well, maybe it's a good thing since it has done nothing but put the LDS church in a bad spot light... a place where they hate to be. This issue has turned many of their own against them.

The LDS church's involvement in promoting Prop 8 was the last straw for me and many of my family members. We wrote out letters of resignation in October, stating that it was their involvement that gave us a final reason to leave. It took 4 months and several calls from my "bishop" whom I had never met to get the frigging thing processed. We called the member services and they said they were so backlogged with resignation requests and that it was taking longer than the standard week to process our requests. I can't lie, that made me pretty happy. Many families of gay people finally chose their son/daughter/mom/dad over religion! Hooray!

I don't know if you recall the small group of about 40 members who first delivered petitions to the church office building in October (2008). Well my family and I were a part of that. We have since participated in the vigils and protests on temple square. I have family and friends who are gay and I see what Prop 8 has put them through. All the church (LDS and otherwise)involvement has been anything but Christlike. Equality has become a huge passion of mine. I can't wait until the history books report all of this and my grandchildren will one day learn what an asshole Tommy Monson really is.

I know that the proposition 8 issue was the breaking point for many people. It's great to hear that the resignation office is/was swamped with requests. I have not yet officially resigned for reasons of a personal nature which I can't disclose right now.

After years of discrimination against blacks, they finally "came around" even though it was for political reasons. It had nothing to do with revelation.

Now they are doing it again with gays. When will they ever get it right? When will the Mormon god quit being a discriminating asshole?

To be honest though, I'm surprised that the church was as public about the issue as they were. LDS, Inc. hates any form of bad publicity and this one was nation wide!

Fanatical Christian Websites

Quotes & Thoughts

New Rule: Churches don't get to offer their commentary on political matters until they start paying taxes!

"...reading the Bible is what has made me an Atheist." ~ The Citizen Atheist

Faith is just gullibility. ~ The Atheist Experience

Don't teach creationism in my school and I won't preach evolution in your church!

In your fiction book, your fiction god did a fiction miracle and that's all the proof you need!

"It's called FAITH because it is not KNOWLEDGE" ~ Christopher Hitchens

"...faith, by definition, is believing in things without evidence and, personally, I don't do that because I'm not an idiot." ~Kate Smurthwaite

"If you could reason with religious people, there would be no religious people." ~House

"Developing a critical mind and having your own view of the world takes education, reflection and time. Having faith is much easier. People prefer to be deceived." ~Michael Shermer

"It's hard to free fools from the chains they revere." ~ Voltaire

"Just because you don't understand something, it doesn't mean it's wrong." Arthur, Sword in the Stone

A diety who remains silent and invisible should not be angry or surprised when its existance is doubted.

Intelligent Design: Because it's so much easier to just invent an answer.

99% of people who DENY evolution can't even DEFINE it!

If money is the root of all evil, why do churches want it?

The Bible was written by the same people who said the earth was flat.

When you don't see the truth, it's easy to accept the illusion.

What most anti-evolution supporters don’t realize is that to nearly anyone educated in biological sciences, an anti-evolution world view today is almost equal to holding a position that the Earth is flat, and the sun revolves around the Earth.

There once was a time when all people believed in God and the church ruled. This time was called the Dark Ages.

"Does religion work? It brings some of us solace, impels some to do good (and others to fly planes into buildings), and buttresses the same moral truths embraced by atheists, but does it help us better understand our world or our universe? Hardly." ~ USA Today

Mormonism is enforced religion.

"What's so merciful about a god who punishes Adam and Eve and all of their descendants over a stupid piece of fruit?" ~ Khalid Thalib

"If people are good only because they fear punishment, and hope for a reward, then we are a sorry lot indeed" ~ Albert Einstein

Isn't it ironic that both you and your god hate the same things?

"Santa Claus never asked for 10% and I still got everything I wanted. And I wasn't good all the time either. I paid the Mormon church 10% and got zip." ~ Let Go

"For god was such a cowardly chicken shit, that he had to send someone else to do the hard stuff." Mormon411

"The good thing about Atheists is they wont knock on your door and they wont blow you up!" ~ Bumper Sticker

"I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours." ~ Stephen Roberts

"You believe in a book that has talking animals, wizards, witches, demons, sticks turning into snakes, food falling from the sky, people walking on water, and all sorts of magical, absurd and primitive stories, and you say that we are the ones that need help?" ~ Dan Barker, Losing Faith in Faith

"Religion is excellent stuff for keeping common people quiet." ~ Napoleon Bonaparte

"Philosophy is questions that may never be answered. Religion is answers that may never be questioned." ~ Unknown

"To the simple mind everything can be explained with one three letter word." ~ Michael Pain

"The government of the United States is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion." ~John Adams, 2nd President of the United States

A watered down long island iced tea: $7.00. A lap dance from your favorite girl: $20.00. Feeling absolutely no guilt for any of it: Priceless!

"I have a hard time with historians, because historians idolize the truth." ~ Boyd K. Packer

"...if God told us to brush our teeth with mud I would do it." ~ Anon TBM

Some of you are probably thinking, "Why don't you just leave them (the Mormons) alone?" So I ask you, if you saw a thirsty man drinking water from a well you knew to be poisoned, would you let him continue to drink or would you guide him to a safe well? ~ Christopher Miller

"Just as you can always tell sea water because it tastes salty, you can always recognize enlightenment because it tastes like freedom." ~ The Buddah

"What have I got to lose? My family? No. They are already gone. They were gone as soon as I was gone from their "family oriented" church." ~ ex-Mormon

"He (Joseph Smith) may get drunk every day of his life, sleep with his neighbor's wife every night, run horses and gamble... but the doctrine he has produced will save you and me and the whole world." ~ Will Jarvis

"My most painful Mormon experience was learning that having faith in something does not necessarily make it true." ~ Anon

"The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction." ~Richard Dawkins

"If a faith will not bear to be investigated; if its preachers and professors are afraid to have it examined, their foundation must be very weak." ~George Albert Smith

Prayer: How to do nothing and still think you're helping.

"Being an atheist means you've been able to see through the social pressure, black balling, guilt trips, propaganda, threats against your eternal soul, etc. and be a rational person in an otherwise irrational age. We think that's something to be proud of." ~The Arrogant Atheist

"Every member a missionary? Every member a revenue generator" ~Brian, ex-Mormon

"I love god. He's so deliciously evil!" ~Stewie Griffin

"We met in a little place called the MTC... If you don't know what the MTC is, then you're not cool." ~April Fenn, LDS church member

"Each of us has to face the matter—either the Church is true, or it is a fraud. There is no middle ground. It is the Church and kingdom of God, or it is nothing." ~Gordon B. Hinckley

What's the difference between a teenager and a Mormon? Eventually the teenager will realize that he doesn't know everything.

"How we treat others is a measure of what we think of ourselves" ~Sharon Bower

Atheists have morals too.

If complexity necessitates a creator, wouldn't our creator also need a creator?

Santa Clause is to children as Jesus Christ is to adults.

"If you are truly searching for the truth, then you must be prepared to admit that you don't already have it." ~Myself as a former LDS missionary

"It's impossible to reach good conclusions with bad information...We're all entitled to our own opinions, but none of us can afford to be wrong in our facts." ~Mort Crim

"...it's not a lie if you believe it." ~George Castanza

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